Australia India Institute to strengthen international ties

Minister for Education. Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations

Minister for Social Inclusion

Deputy Prime Minister

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today announced the Australian Governmentwill provide more than $8 million to fund a new Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne.

The centre will aim to strengthen and sustain bilateral relationships between Australia and India and will be a joint project of the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and the University of New South Wales.

Funding of $8.106 million will be provided under the Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund. The universities will invest around $2 million in the institute bringing the total cost of the project to more than $10 million over 3 years.

As the world’s largest democracy and a key emerging economy, India is redefining its role in international affairs and its influence in our region and globally is growing.

Australia welcomes India’s growing global role and is working with India to strengthen our relationship in pursuit of our many shared interests. To underpin this, the Australian Government is committed to building a greater understanding between our two peoples and Australians’ understanding of India, its culture, its history and its place in the world.

India is currently a top ten trading partner and the economic relationship between the two countries has grown steadily in recent years.

The trade relationship has the potential to increase considerably as India's economic expansion continues and the Institute will provide and promote specialised knowledge about India.

The national centre will enable students, staff and the community to engage and gain a greater understanding of the two countries through:

courses of study

conferences

relevant research.

The University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and the University of New South Wales are collaborating to establish the institute which will give a broad range of students access to invaluable experience and knowledge.

The announcement comes during the visit to Australia by India's Minister for External Affairs, Mr S. M. Krishna, who today met with the Prime Minister in Cairns at the Pacific Islands Forum. Further information about the Diversity Fund and funded projects is available at Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund.